Adding Customer Relations Training To My Profile

OK LinkedIn members, here is where your input is requested, Please. I find it hard to believe that customer service, the core of the body to any company or corporation to keep it standing tall (like the human body), use invasive scripts that employees are trained to repeat verbatim. Believe it or not, script reciting, reading and repeating a written dialog that the company or corporation believes will relay their message to the customer in a uniformed manner, are becoming a thing of the past.

It is time that good customer relations consist of the following items that will befriend the customer, instill trust in the customer and resolve every issue without conflict or hostilities. When you read this you will see that these are simple things we have been taught to do as children but in our busy, meetings, deadlines or quotas and making your boss shine daily duties this will relieve your stress!

1) Greet every call or customer like it was your mother’s first visit to your house. When mom comes to your home for the first time, you have dusted, cleaned in areas of the house you had forgotten existed but she was not going to find one lick of dirt or anything out of order. It is “Yes Ma’am, No Ma’am, Please and Thank You”. Treat your customer like this in every encounter. “Good Morning Mrs. Rogers, This is New Times CU and we are contacting you about assisting you in resolving your overdue credit card debt. Do you have a moment for me to assist you?”
You have now allowed the customer to know your reason for the call and to know you are here to help them.

2) Allow the Customer to provide you with input. Most of the questions on a script can be answered by asking simpler less invasive questions. The right single question can answer multiple questions on the script. Let the customer freely talk to you. Show concern and genuine compassion for their issue. They may have had a loved one just pass and they are the only income in the household. The script asking why can’t you pay your bill, are you having financial problems (apparently!) all frustrate people when they are struggling. They want to be heard.

3) Provide Resolutions – To the companies and corporations, have more than the generic “Pay or lose it” mindset. Everyone is not as prosperous as others and when hardship occur patience and resolutions are needed. Design a payment plan or deferred payment to allow your valued customer time to remain your valued customer.

4) Please and Thank You goes a long way – “May I have your Customer ID?” or “May I have your Customer ID, please?” Which would you rather have your representative say to you when they answer the phone to resolve your issue? Most would say please makes the difference. It was taught to us as a child but now we are grown. We don’t have to say please or thank you anymore. I say please and thank you to my children and everyone because that is how I was raised. It is also a sign of respect. We want respect but not willing to give it.

It is time for Customer Service Representatives, Customer Care Specialist, Receptionist, Debt Resolution Expert or any position where you deal with Customers (internal and external) to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Remember everyone does not have a $7 – $12 an hour job with raises every year and tax incentives. And some of those who are making that kind of money with the benefits are barely making ends meet as well. They also need this new breed of Customer Relations Expert.
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